Time Offset Test Resource Sharing in Automated Test Equipment

The patent applies preliminary action by pre-calculating and pre-arranging the test flow execution schedule with time offsets for each test site. The system determines in advance which test sites will access the shared resource and when, eliminating the need for dynamic resource arbitration during test execution. This pre-planning approach allows efficient resource sharing without adding test time overhead, as the offsets are built into the test flow design rather than imposed during runtime.

The patent applies segmentation by dividing the test flow execution into distinct time segments with offsets assigned to different test sites. Instead of creating complex circular test flows with non-overlapping resource access, the system segments the execution timeline so that each test site accesses the shared resource in its designated time window. This temporal segmentation simplifies the test flow structure while achieving effective resource sharing, as each site follows a straightforward linear test flow with a predetermined offset.

The patent applies universality by designing a single shared test resource that can be accessed by multiple test sites through time-offsetted test flows. Instead of providing dedicated expensive resources at each test site, the system creates a universal resource that serves all sites sequentially in their designated time windows. This multi-functional approach maintains parallel testing capability at the system level while eliminating the need for multiple expensive resource instances, as the single resource is efficiently shared across all test sites.